Louisiana’s Methodist Children’s Home’s Seven Domains of Child Well-being Infrastructure (7D-CWBI) [version 0.8, 20251103] is a developing model that frames child well-being as dependent on more than direct child welfare or behavioral health services, but on a broader infrastructure that comprises interlocking domains that either strengthen or weaken outcomes for children.
7D-CWBI offers a domain-by-domain perspective, as well as a broader structural view of how Louisiana designs, organizes, implements, coordinates, and funds its service ecosystem.
In our developing model of Child Well-being Infrastructure, the seven Domains are
- Protection, Justice, and Safety
- Family and Community Environment
- Social and Emotional Development
- Education and Cognitive Development
- Health and Healthcare Access
- Economic Stability
- Recreation and Enrichment Opportunities
The Seven Domains of Child Well-being Infrastructure model is organized into four layers of focus, each more specific and granular as one moves deeper into the domains: Domains, Subdomains, Essential Elements, and Indicators.
Each Domain of Child Well-being Infrastructure is comprised of Subdomains that focus on broad aspects of the Domain. Within the Subdomains, there are numerous Essential Elements, and the strength of these Essential Elements is measured by their Indicators. Indicators are either present in an environment or they are not.
The structure is: Domain > Subdomain > Essential Elements > Indicators
The Seven Domain Model of Child Well-being Infrastructure provides an organizing and planning framework that is easily aligned with established and future research and best practices. The seven Domains reflect the key areas that together comprise the entire environment of child well-being. The Subdomains are comprised of Essential Elements, which are areas of focus that may be assessed by the presence or absence of specific Indicators. A goal for the model is that everything that may influence a child’s well-being falls within at least one of the Domains. There are instances of overlap because some Essential Elements and Indicators will affect more than one Subdomain and be involved in more than one Domain.
This seven-domain framework helps us keep assessment, research, and planning efforts organized, while allowing one to drill into details on a specific topic or group of children (i.e., the unlimited array of chemical agents and strengths that Louisiana’s OJJ allows for use against children in detention centers) without losing the ability to see scale back and understand how that focus fits within the entire array of broader and systemic factors that influence the well-being of all Louisiana children.
Another potential use is in comparative studies of different environments. For example, one may choose to compare how the southeastern states have built and maintained Child Well-being Infrastructure related to healthcare with the northeastern states. Take Preventive Healthcare, for example. What systems do the different regions use to ensure children receive immunizations, regular checkups, and routine dental care?
Closer to home, one might study how Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services ensures the provision of preventive healthcare for children in foster care compared to the efforts of Louisiana’s Office of Juvenile Justice. Simply assessed, if an environment provides the Indicators (Immunizations, Regular Checkups, and Routine Dental Care, then it provides some measure of Preventive Healthcare.
This seven-domain framework helps us keep our efforts organized, while allowing us to drill into details on a specific topic or group of children (i.e., the unlimited array of chemical agents and strengths that Louisiana’s OJJ allows for use against children in detention centers) without losing the ability to see the entire array of broader and systemic factors that influence the well-being of all Louisiana children (i.e., what preventive measures have we not broadly implemented in Louisiana to reduce the pipeline from communities to juvenile incarceration?).